NRL power rankings

Do you agree with Greg Prichard's final rankings for the year? Join the debate. Last week's rankings in brackets plus their win-loss record.

1 ST GEORGE ILLAWARRA (5) 17-7
All we needed to know was whether they were back to their best in time for the finals, and they provided the answer with a 37-0 win over the Eels. That cancelled out their three-game losing streak before that and made them stand out again as the team to beat.

2 MANLY (4) 14-10
Their 38-4 flogging of the Titans was their fourth straight win, and sends them into the finals on a high. They had a win-loss record of 4-7 over the first 11 rounds, but came home 10-3. Fullback Brett Stewart is ready to fire in the finals. They spell danger to every team.

3 BULLDOGS (1) 18-6
Their immediate task is to overcome the absence of injured halfback Brett Kimmorley and use their top-two finishing position to advantage by winning straight through to week three of the finals. But it won't be easy against a Knights side playing to stay alive.

4 GOLD COAST (2) 16-8
The knowledge they were locked into third place regardless of the result against the Sea Eagles may have taken the edge off them, but whatever the reason a 38-4 loss is not what you want on the eve of the finals. Big test coming up at home against the Broncos.

5 BRISBANE (6) 14-10
Their recovery, after a 56-0 flogging at the hands of the Raiders in round 21, became complete when they beat the Raiders 22-10 in the final round. That made it five wins in a row and set them up for a short road trip to face first-time finalists the Titans.

6 PARRAMATTA (3) 12-1-11
Their winning streak, which had stretched to seven games, came to an end in a big way against the Dragons, but they get Nathan Hindmarsh and Eric Grothe back for the rematch and are bound to improve dramatically on what they did in the 37-0 loss.

7 MELBOURNE (7) 14-1-9
Had to beat the Warriors on the road to make sure of fourth spot going into the finals and they did that in style, winning 30-0, but this week's meeting with the in-form Sea Eagles is a totally different concept. That game will kick the finals series off with a bang.

8 WESTS TIGERS (8) 12-12
Their inconsistency has cost them dearly again. A 34-12 win over the Bulldogs was a great way to finish, but it would be a source of enormous frustration to everyone at the club that they were good enough to do that, but not consistent enough to make the finals.

9 SOUTH SYDNEY (9) 11-1-12
Another team in the so near but yet so far category. It must be extremely annoying to realise that if you had done just a few things a bit better at crucial times, you would be playing in the finals this weekend instead of having missed out by one win. C'est la vie.

10 NEWCASTLE (10) 13-11
They belted the Panthers at home to clinch the last available spot in the finals, but now they must go on the road to play the Bulldogs and they are 3-9 in away games this season. Maybe the fact it's a must-win game will allow them to forget that record and just go for it.

11 CANBERRA (11) 9-15
They were competitive against the Broncos, but the result still went the same way as the vast majority of their away games this season and ended in a loss. They've got the potential to make the finals next year, but that won't make this year any easier to take for them.

12 PENRITH (12) 11-1-12
The stunning thing about their last-round game against the Knights was not the fact they lost, but the fact they couldn't register any points. The Panthers hadn't struggled to score tries this season, but when they absolutely needed them the cookie jar was empty.

13 NORTH QUEENSLAND (14) 11-13
Big punters were happy with the Cowboys when they registered a 13-plus win over the Roosters in the final round, but when it comes to the season Cowboys fans are entitled to be bitterly disappointed about their team fading from the finals race in the home straight.

14 WARRIORS (13) 7-2-15
They couldn't even get the job done at home, winning just five of 12 games. It was a dramatic fall from the grace of last year, when they put on a great burst over the second half of the season to make the finals, and then won two games once they got there.

15 SYDNEY ROOSTERS (15) 5-19
You can argue all day about which team was worse, the Roosters or the Sharks, but as much as the Roosters tended to get beaten by a lot when they did lose, they did at least win two of their last 10 games - the Sharks finished the season with 10 straight losses.

16 CRONULLA (16) 5-19
The other thing that has to be pointed out in comparing the Sharks and Roosters is that the Roosters won both of their clashes. There is no doubt the Sharks kept trying until the end, but they have to wear the fact they had two losing streaks of nine and 10 games.

Posted
by EdSeptember 9, 2009 7:11 PM

LATEST COMMENTS

Ok he is a good tough hard hitting diving player.

Are you happy now.

Spoonbender may I ask which orifice you bend your spoons in? With a rant like that you must have wet dreams about Lockyer the World Cup losing captain!

Daniel C obviously you spend to much times in the showers with the guys to know that women have that time of the month therefore a play on words!

WOW, everyone chill, you know what they say bout fighting on the intenet, besides who cares, Lockyers over the hill and the Broncos are gone now anyway. Eels will meet Melbourne in the grandfinal so if you dont support either team then quit whining!

Posted by: Ben on September 26, 2009 10:23 PM

WOW, everyone chill, you know what they say bout fighting on the intenet, besides who cares, Lockyers over the hill and the Broncos are gone now anyway. Eels will meet Melbourne in the grandfinal so if you dont support either team then quit whining!

Posted by: Ben on September 26, 2009 10:23 PM

No, THAT was a response!
Your serve Mr C.

Posted by: sea eagle sam on September 25, 2009 9:51 AM

Lockyer changes Codes to Soccer,

You are a massive Goose mate. If you had two functioning neuron's you'd know that apart from being one of the greatest players ever to lace on a boot, Darren Lockyer is as hard as a coffin nail. The fact that a person writes a comment with words of more than two syllables prompts you label them Mr Dictionary shows that not only are you not only a brain dead trogladyte but have all the humour charm and grace of a 3 month old fish. Your attempts at humour are clumsily phrased, puerile and frankly embarrassing.

However back to your main point, almost no player in the code has been subject to as many attempts to bash him out of the game or cheap shots as Darren Lockyer. Any of the hits he takes ever week would leave you in bed for a week and you have the gall to call him a diver. Well I have to say part the balls out of your eyes and watch the game in the future and go back and watch the last 10 years of his games. However your clearly a dribbler who would have a haemorrage if graced with an original thought, so I say instead good day and good luck with your career as a fluffer.

Posted by: Spoonbender on September 25, 2009 9:10 AM

Posted by: Lockyer changes codes to soccer?? on September 16, 2009 8:46 PM, wow, what a response. Completely avoid the issue that YOU raised because you've got nothing. What on earth you meant by 'that time of the season for you' is anyone's guess really. Keep listening to Mark Geyer though mate so that you can keep coming up with this amazing insight that you have...

Posted by: Daniel C on September 21, 2009 8:39 AM

Dear Daniel C

Thank you Mr Dictionary I'm sure that everyone is impressed with your use of English and your lack of a sense of humour.

Yes I was clowning but I didn't realise thin skinned Lockyer supporters would get upset soooo easily.

Do you take everything so seriously or is that time of the season for you?

Please don't run home to dob me in to your mum you know she doesn't like it when you interrupt us.

Posted by: Lockyer changes codes to soccer?? on September 13, 2009 1:42 PM, you obviously don't know the difference between a dive & milking. To say that Lockyer 'dived' implies that the shoulder charge that he copped wouldn't have been strong enough to knock him over. That's obviously not true as Walker hit him fairly solidly. If you had said he milked it, maybe you would have earned some credibility but it's quite obvious to me that you're a clown. Also, to say that he does it all the time is ridiculous as he has always gotten up after high tackles & cheap shots unless he has genuinely been hurt. If Lockyer says he was stunned, I'm willing to believe him as hits that you are not braced for hurt a lot more than hits that you are braced for. Even if he did stay down for a little longer, so what? Is this any worse than a player faking injury in the last minute of a close game to wind the clock down? No, it isn't but noone complains about that.

But hey mate, it's all sweet. You just keep listening to what Mark Geyer tells you. You're a goose.

Posted by: Daniel C on September 16, 2009 2:09 PM

Sam, if you really were a Tigers supporter, you'd know that Moltzen is a halfback, not a fullback. I really don't understand the Gallant hate. He's a talker in defence, his support play is awesome and unlike Moltzen, he's happy to do kick returns. Check out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQmpbRMUTQU. Doesn't look like he goes backwards to me.

Steve, I love your in depth analysis. I say when the Sheens picks specialists in their correct positions the Tigers won every game. What do you reply with? 500 team? Excuses? Nothing in the clutch? Fantasy land? Do you actually have anything to say or you are just copying and pasting cliches and sound bites that you thought were cool when you saw someone else write them?

As for wishing the Bulldogs were playing the Tigers instead of the Knights, I guess you could have missed Round 7, when the Knights couldn't put away the Tigers and you might have forgetten in Round 8 that the only thing that got a full strength Bulldogs side home against a Marshall-less Tigers side was the boot of the greatest goal kicker of all time, but there's no way you could have missed the Round 26 thumping the a depleted Tigers dished out to the Bulldogs.

Come back to me when you argument consists of something more substantial than merely poking your tongue out.

Posted by: Bill Steamshovel on September 15, 2009 10:59 PM

heaps of good luck for the storm

Posted by: oscar on September 15, 2009 6:47 PM

WOW this ladder this is almost a joke. Both team 1 and team 2 lost :)
MY most hated team coming from a doggies supporter..although i still think dragons r the team to beat until they r gone.

Posted by: melanie on September 15, 2009 2:10 PM

From all Parra supporters THANK YOU Soward. After 20 minutes of defence for taking the shot at goal. Not because the team realised possibly the Dragons lacked the skill to score a try but your prancy dancey kicking style let the Parra players get the wind back. It was obvious they were down and out but whereas most teams would take a quick conversion and then maintain pressure your 5 minute dance gave Parra players a nice rest after losts of tackles on a hot day. Enough breather in fact to score two quick tries.

SO thank you Soward channel 9 does not show your dance before a kick any more but I will always remember it as your victory dance to Parra to let them rest and win the game!!!

Posted by: Thanks Soward on September 14, 2009 6:46 PM

HAHAHAHA Manly are gonskis!!! HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHHA As a Parra fn I must say, I dont care if we lose now, we already beat the dragons and in doing so eliminated Manly!!!! Im saisfied, well done boys. But you know they ont end there, Parra will just keep marching...

Posted by: Ben on September 14, 2009 1:29 AM

Forget Karmichael Hunt going to AFL the big news story is Lockyer will be playing football (soccer) shortly. After that dive last night he is worthy of a place in the Italian team!!!!!

GO MANLY!!! During the year all we heard was how it was back to back by the supporters but Thanks to Melbourne that is now on rocky round. Go Brisbane, Parra and Knights please win 2 between you and convert the talkers to walkers!!!! Not too many comments from Manly supporters today I noticed.

PS I am still disgusted that Inglis walked onto the field but then again he plays for Melbourne so the NRL after throwing millions to Victoria has to let Melbourne have a chance in the finals to prove there investment worthwhile. The melbourne coach has caused the game to lose any credence of respectability so not suprised with him endorsing a &%#* that hits girls. (then again he is the coch the couldn't give a S&%T about kids affected by the bushfire!!!)

Love Cronulla for being in the same situation last year and putting the reputation of LEAGUE as a whole above the teams chances to win a premiership.

Bill Steamshovel, their results are inconsistent. look at their record, 12 and 12. They're a 500 team.

Making excuses for them won't change anything. But Tigers fans are used to living in what if fantasy land.

They couldn't win when they needed to, so its a bit of a disgrace they make the top eight of the power rankings. They've got nothing in the clutch. Look at Newcastle, they gave a huge effort when they needed to and that's whats most important. Its a disgrace having them in 10th position.

The dogs without Kimmorley should be a lot lower. They have absolutely no power at all now. The direction, composure and unpredictability he brings to the line-up is massive. He is still the most underrated player in the game. Kimmorley joins the wooden spooners and they are the best team in the comp (as far as record goes) all year. And Thurston bumbles along with up and down club form and somehow he claims the Dally M for halfback.

All I can say is I wish the Bulldogs were playing the Tigers and not the Knights this week, because when it matters, the Tigers have nothing in the clutch.

Posted by: Steve Sanders on September 12, 2009 11:15 AM

I am a tigers supporter, and love the tigers dearly, but seriously bill steamshovel, I am glad that Gallant was signed. He runs BACKWARDS!!!!!! I hate him and his style of play, and think that he's overrated. Moltzen must be the best rookie at least this year, and is proving to be such an asset to the team. If we lose him, god help us, or should i say, benji help us.

What's this rubbish about the Tigers being inconsistent? With Moltzen at halfback, Marshall at pivot and Gallant at fullback, the Tigers won EVERY game. They went from challenging the Roosters for the spoon to finals contenders.

What failed the Tigers this season was Sheens playing Marshall, Morris and Moltzen all out of position and refusing to give Gallant a run.

With the correct spine in place the Tigers were Top 8 material, without them they were bottom 8 material.

It's got nothing to do with consistency and everything to do with no picking the best side available.

I wish Shannon all the best at the Cowboys. With him at fullback, Neil Henry might be tempted to put Bowen on the bench to replace his 5/8 to give the Cowboys more strike power.

Posted by: Bill Steamshovel on September 10, 2009 5:09 PM

the way i see it is that the dragons will make the grand final as well as the dogs and the dragons will flay them alive 76-2

Posted by: nick on September 10, 2009 5:09 PM

I'm amazed that a Newcastle side that has beaten the Dragons (at Kogarah!), Bulldogs, Titans, Storm, Sea Eagles, and Broncos is rated 10th here.

I agree with Greg that the Bulldogs are no sure thing against the Knights. Sure, the Knights are 3-9 away, but in night games in Sydney (like Saturday night's clash will be) they are 3-0, beating the Sharks in round 2, the Dragons in round 6, and the Roosters in round 10. They might not like travelling in general, but that doesn't apply to away games like this one. I really don't fancy the chances of a Bulldogs side missing their ex-Novocastrian junior, Brett Kimmorley.

Posted by: Novocastrian on September 10, 2009 3:33 PM

Thank God it is the teams and the ladder that decides who is ranked where. If the Tigers and the Rabbits are better than the Knights, why are they on holidays already?
I'm not a Knights supporter, but ranking a team that play in the finals round behind two who don't, makes no sense to me!

Posted by: Eberhard on September 10, 2009 2:47 PM

Dear GP thanks again for a gr8 series of columns in NRL season 2009. Glad to see your charitable gesture to include the mighty, mighty tiggs in the 8. Still waiting with trout-like (baited) breath for an announcment that Newcastle had 15 players on the field on the weekend or one of the other finalists has egregiously breached the salary cap (and will be returned to "Go" on zero points) in order to get the tiggs a start in the semis. However, I realise I am in what the French call that Egyptian River - De Nile, and will move on. Probably to the Cox Plate and Whobegotyou.

Posted by: Gregory Guru on September 9, 2009 10:41 PM

Glad to see the mighty Dragons back on top, wasn't sure if you put them straight back up from 5 spots down.

I find it hard to beleive everybody writing off the Titans, who are playing at home with the best home record. They'll lose week 2 though.

Unfortunately can't see the Doggies going to far now without Kimmorley, Idris had no idea what he was doing out there without Kimmorley's guidance.

The only real contenders are the Dragons, Manly and Melbourne as I see it